Augusta man accused of shooting, killing neighbor's dog

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW) -- A man is sitting in jail, accused in the gruesome death of his neighbor's dog. Deputies say Pablo Chaves shot the dog twice with a shotgun, and they also found a bloody chainsaw nearby. But, Chaves' family says his actions were necessary to save his own pet.

Rolonda Jackson's family's dog is the one that was shot and killed. She says the dog was about 9 years old, and they had raised him from a puppy.

"I just can't believe the dog's gone and how he did it," she said.

Deputies responded to a call to Chaves' home about trouble with a neighbor's dog. That's when they discovered the Rottweiler had been shot twice with a 12-gauge shotgun, but that wasn't all they found.

Investigators found the dog in a gruesome condition. The incident report describes the scene: "The officer observed an 18-inch chainsaw with dog hair and blood in it lying beside the dog. Officer observed a large cut on the neck area of the black in color dog consistent with being cut with the chainsaw."

"I just couldn't believe that. I mean we don't talk to them, but I couldn't believe he would do something like that," Jackson said.

Neighbors say they're shocked because the dogs aren't aggressive.

"They're good dogs, they don't bother anybody. They bark if somebody comes up, but they don't bother anybody," said Amy Roseburg, who lives next door.

But there's more to the story, the Chaves family says. On Sunday morning, family members say the dog jumped their fence and killed their chihuahua.

They didn't want to go into details on camera because they have hired a lawyer, who was close by Monday afternoon as Chaves appeared before a judge for his bond hearing.

"This will be a vigorously-defended case," said Chaves' lawyer.

His lawyer says Chaves will plead "not guilty" since he was defending his own property and his own pets.

The lawyer said in court, "This will be the second animal this neighbor's dog has destroyed -- and injured a third -- but it occurred in the enclosed backyard of my client."

As the lawyer stated in court, this is not the first time they say the Rottweiler has attacked their dogs. An incident report was filed by Chaves in 2008 that says two black Rottweiler dogs jumped the fence and started fighting with his chihuahua. It also says they were unable to find the dog afterwards.

Initial report:

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW) -- An Augusta man was arrested for cruelty to animals after allegedly killing his neighbor's dog.

Deputies say when they arrived to the home on Chester Avenue on Sunday morning, they found 35-year-old Pablo Cesar Chaves covered in blood with a chainsaw covered in blood and dog hair nearby.

Chaves allegedly shot his neighbor's dog twice with a shotgun.

Deputies say the dog had a large cut in its neck area and looked like it had been cut with the chainsaw that was found nearby.

Chaves is charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, discharge of firearms on or near public highway and possession of a firearm or knife during a crime.

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Laura's love for broadcast news started when she was 15 years old. She was active in the 4-H Club and chose communications as her project area. She decided to start her own local television show that aired weekly to 16 counties in southwest Georgia.